Making blistered tomatoes adds smoky flavor and intensifies the sweetness of cherry tomatoes, making them extra delicious!
Ready in as little as 5 minutes, this is a recipe you’ll find yourself making all summer long.
Is there anything better than sun-ripened cherry tomatoes? Whether you grow them in a backyard garden or grab them from the farmer’s market, cherry tomatoes are one of the highlights of summer produce.
But yes, there is something better than those fresh cherry tomatoes—blistered tomatoes!
Blistered Tomatoes: Two Ways
Blistered tomatoes are cooked on the stovetop or in the oven; this gives the tomatoes a little bit of char and blistering on the outside and makes the insides deliciously jammy and sweet.
You can use blistered tomatoes in so many different dishes, from Cherry Tomato Pasta to Mozzarella Bruschetta and Lemon Pepper Salmon, but you can also enjoy them on their own as a simple summer side.
Add some fresh basil, flaky sea salt, and a drizzle of syrupy balsamic vinegar, or enjoy them as-is—any way you serve them, they’re going to be a hit.
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Cherry tomatoes – Both all red tomatoes and an assortment of multicolored tomatoes can be visually impactful on a serving platter.
- Olive oil or butter – Butter will add a hint of dairy flavor to the mix, which can be especially good if you’re adding your blistered tomatoes to pasta.
Stovetop Method:
- Step 1 – First, add the butter or olive oil to a medium saucepan set over medium heat.
- Step 2 – Once the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the tomatoes.
- Step 3 – Finally, cook the tomatoes until they’re blistered and tender.
Oven Method:
- Step 1 – Preheat your oven.
- Step 2 – Toss the tomatoes with olive oil or butter in a small baking dish.
- Step 3 – Now, roast until the tomatoes are blistered and tender.
Tips
- Use a large skillet or spread them out in a baking dish. Either way, your tomatoes need lots of space to make sure they char and blister instead of steaming.
- Don’t add them to the skillet until it’s smoking hot; this is how you get that nice char on the outside. Be patient and it will pay off!
- Buy the best tomatoes you can find—ripe, sweet, and fresh. All those good flavors will only intensify with this cooking process.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve blistered tomatoes as an appetizer with crostini, basil, and mozzarella or burrata.
- Toss blistered tomatoes with pasta—I love them with Boursin Pasta and Garlic Parmesan Pasta.
- Replace pizza sauce with blistered tomatoes in your next homemade pizza.
- Spoon them over Boursin Chicken.
Tools to Use
- A large, high-quality sauté pan is key to making blistered tomatoes on the stovetop.
- For the oven method, use a square Baking Pan or sheet pan.
- Tomato Knife
How to Store
Refrigerate – Store blistered tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze – Freeze blistered tomatoes in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Reheat
To reheat blistered tomatoes, place them on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes, or warm them up on the stovetop over medium heat. Note that they’ll be softer and jammier upon reheating, but they’ll still be just as delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, blistered tomatoes can’t be made in the microwave. You can warm them up and even get them to burst, but they’ll be missing that essential charring that makes them so delectable.
Burst tomatoes are very similar to blistered tomatoes, but burst tomatoes are cooked whole until they burst open.
Yes, you can use grape tomatoes to make blistered tomatoes, although I do prefer cherry tomatoes because they’re juicier.
Blistered Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Instructions
Stovetop
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter or warm olive oil.
- Add cherry tomatoes. Sauté about 2 minutes, until tender.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small baking dish combine and olive oil or butter. Roast 25 minutes.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
